Feank higgins



(No Model.)

B. HIGGINS.

ROAD CART.

Patented Sept. '18, 1888.

lmitme/owa UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK HIGGINS, OF WELLSVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF-ONE-HALF TO JAMES J.FREEMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

ROAD-CA RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,842,.datedSeptember 18, 1888.

Application filed June .1, 1888. Serial No. 275,883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK HIGGINS, a citi zen of the UnitedStates,residing at Wellsville, in the county of Allegany and State ofNew York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Road-Carts, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in road-carts; and it has for itsobject to provide a spring for the seat which will combine simplicityand strength with great resiliency and ease of motion, and also toprovide the spring with attachments to enable the thills to be firmlyand readily connected to the axle.

The invention consists in a certain novel construction and arrangementof devices,fully set forth hereinafter in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of aroadeart provided with the improvements. Fig. 2 is a rear view, partlyin section, of the same.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the axle. B Bdesignate the thills. O designates the cross-bar between the thills, andD designates the seat, having the side bars, at d, pivoted at theirfront ends to the said cross-bar.

E E designate brackets provided with the foot or base F and the verticalstandard G, which are respectively affixed to the upper side of the axleand the inner side of the thill by means of boltsf and metallic clips 9.The vertical standards of the brackets are provided with the horizontalinward-extending arms H, which are provided with the depend ing ears hh.

To a cross-bar, I, which is attached to the sidebars, d d, of the seat,is affixed by suit able means the center of the semi-elliptical springK, and the eyes k k at the ends of the spring are mounted between theparallel ears ll on the lower ends of the swinging links L. Theconnecting-link M is pivoted at its upper end between the depending earsh h of the horizontal arm H, and the lower ends of the parallelarms m m,which comprise the said link, are pivoted on opposite sides of the upperend of the swinging link. The connecting-link is capable of a forwardand rearward swinging motion, and the swinging link is capable of alaterally-swinging motion, and

therefore, when the seat is depressed by a superimposed weight, thecenter of the elliptical spring is depressed and its ends are forcedlaterally, thereby causing the lower ends. of 5 the swinging links toswing outward, and the movement of the seat-bars around their pivots onthe cross-bar will cause the swinging links and the lower ends of theconnectinglinks to swing slightly forward, as will be evi- 6o dent.

The pivoted movement of the seat bars would, if the ends of the springwere not 0011- neeted thus loosely to the standards, cause a twistingstrain on the spring, which would 6 ultimately result in loosening andperhaps detaching the latter; but when free swinging connection isemployed all twist and strain on the connections of the spring areavoided,

for the reason that the pressure on the latter 7:

is at all times perpendicular to its face.

It will be seen that the connection of the rear end of the thill to theaxle is simple, the pressure is distributed, and a lateral strain isprevented from twisting the thill.

Having thus described the invention, I claim 1. In a road-cart, thecombination, with the seat having its bars pivoted at their front ends,of the elliptical spring affixed to the seat-bars and connected at itsends to universal connections, which consist of the links Land M,pivoted together, substantially as 6 specified.

2. In a road-cart, the seat-bars mounted pivotally on the vehicle, andthe standards having the horizontal arms on their upper ends, incombination with the semi-elliptical spring afiixed to the seat-bars,the connecting-links pivoted to the horizontal arms and 0 swingingmotion at right angles to the con- 5 necting-links, substantially asspecified.

3. In a road-cart, the pivoted seatbars and the axle having the thillsaffixed thereto, in combination with the standards provided with thehorizontal arms H, having the depending rco arms h h, theconnecting-links pivoted at their upper ends between the depending earsand lmving parallel arms m m, the swinging links pivoted at their upperends between the said arms m m and capable of swinging in a plane atright angles to the connecting-links, and the flat or semi-ellipticalspring affixed to the seat-bars and having eyes on its ends mountedbetween the ears Z Zon the lower ends of the swinging links,substantially as specified.

4. In a road-cart the combination of the bracketsE E, provided with theboxes F F, secured to the axle, and the standards G G, integral with theboxes, the thills secured at their rear ends to the standards, the seathaving the seatbars pivoted to the cross-bar of the thills, and theelliptical spring attached 15 my own I have hereto affixed my signaturein 20 presence of two witnesses.

FRANK HIGGINS \Vitnesses:

F. H. FURMAN, FRANK V. R. STILLMAN.

